Opinion: Ohio Statehouse has become a cesspool that needs draining

It has become clear over the past few months that the Ohio Statehouse is a cesspool of chaos, devoid of morals and decency. We’ve seen multiple reports of sexual harassment on both sides of the aisle, an FBI investigation of the former Speaker, and a current battle over the next Speaker, provoking an unprecedented amount of mudslinging. These are the very people we entrust with making policy and spending our tax dollars! When President Trump talked about the D.C. swamp, he was right. But it has become painfully obvious that we have our own swamp to drain in Columbus.

My opponent, Steve Wilson, is part of the problem. He was appointed to the Ohio Senate last year because he raised a boatload of campaign cash for Gov. John Kasich. Wilson is bought and paid for by the power brokers in Columbus. This has become even more evident in recent weeks as we’ve seen Columbus pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into our district to re-elect Wilson and defeat me. Wouldn’t that money be better spent against a Democrat like Sherrod Brown, rather than going after a conservative Republican?

The 7th District is a conservative district and Wilson is not a good fit. In fact, Wilson called conservatives “a small few on the extremes” in a letter to the editor (9/6/2014, Cincinnati Enquirer). The conservative iVoterGuide.com recognized this and rated Wilson “Somewhat Liberal,” while I was rated “Conservative.”

Huge amounts of money are being spent to defeat me because they know that I won’t be a part of their go-along-to-get-along good ol’ boys’ network. I’m running to represent the conservative values of our district, not the values of Columbus. And I’m honored to be endorsed by nine conservative, pro-life groups and leaders, including Jim Jordan, Right To Life Action Coalition of Ohio, Women for Liberty, Warren Co. Right To Life, and the Conservative Republican Leadership Committee.

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My campaign is about finding solutions. As a small business owner, I know the importance of cutting regulation and government bureaucracy. I want to institute a version of the Trump tax cuts here in Ohio, because Ohio wins when families have more money in their pockets.

The time to eliminate Common Core is long overdue. I’m passionate about putting education back into the hands of parents and teachers, while supporting educational choice and trade schools. And with an opioid epidemic ravaging our state, we have to be more proactive in this war that is costing hundreds of lives and devastating families.

We cannot accomplish any of this unless we clean house in Columbus. If we retain the same politicians in the state capitol, we will continue the same results – an endless string of scandals and a revolving door of self-interested power brokers.

I’m asking for your vote on May 8. Cast your vote for a conservative neighbor, not a self-serving Kasich insider.

Brad Lamoreaux lives in Lebanon and is the Republican candidate for Ohio Senate District 7.